petrosrex

Releasing this bombshell on the first day of a woot!off, like taking us for ice cream and bumper cars and telling us that our dog, grandma, and the Dalai Lama died. For shame!

In all seriousness, as a 6 and 1/2 foot man, I am concerned about the length. Also, although Anvil is better than other alternatives, I am not sure how well they will stand up compared to the AA ones. I've had Anvil shirts in the past, and although they weren't bad, they weren't great either. I don't totally agree with using outsourced labor, but at least Anvil does treat its workforce better than most.

ramyb

ProfHotpants wrote:It's possible you've worn a different style Anvil shirt. They're not all the same. I promise the guys blanks are very nearly identically the blanks you're used to. Seriously, the only difference is the 3/8th inch, which I think is more than made up for because they shrink less.

I won't lie to you, when we did our massive round of in house testing there were some folks who preferred the old blanks to the new ones. But the split was pretty even, with most people feeling they were about the same.

I LOVE the women's blanks. I have had the same 5 women's Anvil blanks for three years. They're all different colors, so they're from different batches and they have held up beautifully. They are comfy, the fit is flattering, and the shirts haven't faded, twisted or fallen apart. They look like new. I am really thrilled with the new women's blanks.

I hope you are right, and like I said, I am definitely willing to give these shirts a chance. I love AA blanks, and so naturally I am hesitant, especially since I have had a bad experience with anvil before. If the cut is different from the one I know, I will be pleasantly surprised and retract my former statement.

kittybongo

Unfortunately this means I won't be purchasing any more Woot shirts once the switch goes into effect. It is very important to me that the shirts be made in the USA. I'd probably even pay $15 for the daily shirts and $20 for reckoning shirts if they remained AA. I was fine with the price hike because the shirts were made in the USA. I won't support outsourcing.

I guess I'll just have to cherish the Woot shirts I have and reminisce about the good old' days.

jel2301

What I won't accept is if the fit and comfort is worse. But I'll keep an open mind, and next time I see a shirt I want, I'll order it, and then I'll be able to evaluate. I'm hoping there's no noticeable difference. If so, I'll keep on buying. If it seems noticeably worse, no more purchases for me, and I am only out the cost of a shirt. But I'm hoping for the best.

ProfHotpants

badlass wrote:I asked via email but I'm wondering about reckoning shirts. I bought one a few hours before midnight and now wondering if I'm going to get the old blanks or the new blanks. I'm sure other folks are wondering too. Thanks!

Reckoning shirts have already been printed on the old blanks. As we run reprints, we will transition to the new blanks.

Each design will have a size chart that reflects the blanks being sold. We're trying to kept these as current as possible.

ramyb

mrwednesday wrote:Read the cost statement. There's not much to infer. Razer margins are thin yes,but has shirt woot ever operated as anything but a bulk business? It says quite clearly you need the extra margin from a cheaper blank to afford other stuff. Now I could see maybe needing some capital to start something like that but what is Amazon for? It tells me you want to provide totes and long sleeves but you can't afford to do it because there is no margin so you have to get that money elsewhere as in your new larger margins.

Woot decided on the prices to charge for long-sleeve shirts and totes- I highly doubt they chose a price point that comes with a loss.

unsweetener

As a lady, I look forward to seeing if the the Anvil tees fit better than the AA ones. I seriously dislike the AA ones.

And honestly, commitment to fair labor practices in middle-income countries is really good for the people there. I get that not being made in the USA is a dealbreaker for some people, but AA isn't going to sink or swim by Woot's purchases, and if they do, it's because they have a terrible business model.

bluejester

samething wrote:I've had a lot of t-shirts. There is no other brand that I count on for quality the way I do with American Apparel. I doubt the quality control and consistency of other brands.

Before, I just focused on the shirt design. If I liked it, I got it. That's because I could count on the quality of the AA shirt.

I'll think twice before dropping money on the next design I like.

(Plus, I liked that AA shirts were made in the US.)

I second the previous "well said" post. Even when ordering the randoms, if I got something that I didn't like, it was still a comfy shirt in the end.

America needs jobs and there's a big part of me that grieves the end of using AA blanks. I know that this may sound trite to some, but to me there was a quintessentialy American feel to shirt.woot. They used American made product to provide opportunity to all designers of all backgrounds.

I really do like woot as a company. They have great customer service and staffers who go the extra mile for their customers and from what I can tell, their employees as well.

I didn't mind and totally shrugged off the notion of the price increase, inflation happens. But this...I love you guys, but this...

...it gives me pause. Why would you do this to Americans who need jobs? You seem like you guys care over there.

rockymike

The length getting shorter is what makes me most nervous. What I liked best about the current shirts is that they are about the only kind that I can buy online that do well to accommodate long-torsoed folks like me. Losing that little bit of length may seem insignificant, but it's a big deal to me. We'll just have to try it and see how it goes...

trekmiss

ProfHotpants wrote:I LOVE the women's blanks. I have had the same 5 women's Anvil blanks for three years. They're all different colors, so they're from different batches and they have held up beautifully. They are comfy, the fit is flattering, and the shirts haven't faded, twisted or fallen apart. They look like new. I am really thrilled with the new women's blanks.

So why didn't you just switch the women's blanks, and keep AA for the men's? The AA men's shirts fit me perfectly. I'm not excited about this change at all. Definitely not happy about losing nearly a half inch in length.

Also, why a price increase if you were switching from AA? Are these new blanks more expensive?

ProfHotpants

bluejester wrote:So, from what I'm reading about the WRAP stuff, there's an implication that the ANVIL brand has some sort of working conditions standard that they hold to. Am I then to believe that AA was not up to some sort of standard?

Furthermore, it's mentioned "For one thing, we really like the combination of stability and flexibility that going with Anvil provides," I interpret this to mean that due to the recent financial difficulties of AA that stability might have been an issue. So, because woot was worried that AA might 'cash in it's chips' they decided to terminate their business relationship with them. Is this correct extrapolation, and if so could you expound on why? I am lost as to why after years of a good working relationship with AA that woot would leave them to hang in the wind. I'm not trying to be mean here, just frustrated to see that you guys are no longer using an American company.

We have not terminated our relationship with AA. We are sourcing the best products that we can find from the best vendors. We are definitely diversifying our suppliers, which we believe will result In a better overall experience for our users.

jezebelseven

So, I'm curious-- if I have an Anvil shirt in my closet, is there a way to tell which type of blank it's on? Is that tied to the RN number on the tag?
It's a Blue Man Group concert shirt. Quality is subpar compared to my AA woot tees, imho.

I'm also interested how long these were tested at HQ, in regards to how they wash up and so forth. Was it a month? Several? I've had things wash up great for a couple weeks then suddenly it's like it disintegrated overnight. Not from Anvil in particular (unless it's one of the ones my husband cut the tag out of), but it makes me dubious.

Either way, I can't understand the price hike when the price of the blanks went down. That's kind of the worst part at the moment for me.

dcroe05

trekmiss wrote:Also, why a price increase if you were switching from AA? Are these new blanks more expensive?

To me, this is the heart of the matter? Because this comes so soon after your first ever price increase, it's seems difficult to believe the two moves are not related. But if the shirts cost the same, or are now cheaper, then why do I need to pay more? And if the new shirts are, indeed, more expensive, then why not leave the jobs in the US?

lonelypond

Made in America would be great, but AA and what I'd heard of some of its business practices have made me uncomfortable on more than one occasion.

I'd bet (a nickel or so) that the recent changes are long term, long discussed plans that are being triggered in stages. I've been happy with my shirt.woot! experiences so far, although the effect this decision will have on the vocal parts of the community aka those of us who post on the message boards does concern me, as that is a significant part of the shirt.woot! experience. But for me, I'm willing to see where the shirt.woot! business plan goes next.

bluejester

ProfHotpants wrote:We have not terminated our relationship with AA. We are sourcing the best products that we can find from the best vendors. We are definitely diversifying our suppliers, which we believe will result In a better overall experience for our users.

If you haven't terminated your relationship with AA, then what business are you still doing with them? I.E. What products are you purchasing from them still that will eventually be adorned with the efforts of the artists who submit here?

Maybe I'm being a bit forward in asking this, but is it possible to get a quick run down on what you plan on still buying from AA?

ProfHotpants

jezebelseven wrote:I'm also interested how long these were tested at HQ, in regards to how they wash up and so forth. Was it a month? Several? I've had things wash up great for a couple weeks then suddenly it's like it disintegrated overnight. Not from Anvil in particular (unless it's one of the ones my husband cut the tag out of), but it makes me dubious..

I have some blanks I have personally been testing for three years. They have been worn and washed weekly. They still look great and feel soft, and they are my preferred tees. Hands down.

We also sent a bunch of shirts to a lab to have fancy tests done on them by folks in lab coats. Scientists, even! They tested durability, longevity, and all kinds of cool things. I'm going to talk to our writers about getting a blog post up with those test results.

astroliner

As a female who's always had to wear MMs, I'm eager to see how these new sizes are. If a WXL could actually fit me, that would be awesome and well worth the change-- I haven't been able to wear one in any favorable brand since high school. I'll probably wait until the next Random to chance it, though.

But even if I do continue getting MMs, it seems like less shrinkage would make up for the change in length, so hopefully that would just fit the same anyway, which is absolutely fine as well.

In the end, though, I trust woot. I recently purchased my 30th shirt (and then tonight sadly got a spare ICOON before that was gone forever). So while I love the old shirts and am admittedly quite nervous about the change, I am ready to give it a chance.

Oh, and thanks to the woot staff for being here tonight, monitoring this thread. This is of course a big deal for all of the obsessed, so I'm sure it's well appreciated that you guys are taking the time.

zosai

ProfHotpants wrote:We have not terminated our relationship with AA. We are sourcing the best products that we can find from the best vendors. We are definitely diversifying our suppliers, which we believe will result In a better overall experience for our users.

That's not why Woot is doing it. Perhaps not the staff people responding in this thread, but the major difference between AA and Anvil is cost.

Pure and simple, this is greed. Woot was making money hand over fist selling thousands of shirts a day. Now what?

When a major producer decides that enriching themselves is more important than the best labor and environmental practices, everyone suffers. As more companies abandon American production, more companies are squeezed out until no consumers can buy American because no producers are left here.

Also, the claim that the recent 20% price increase covered the increasing costs to shirt.woot was blatantly false, unless the shirts will now return to $10, since Anvil blanks are at least $2 cheaper per shirt than AA.

Cieloan

Um, as a person of the female persuasion, I have to say I'm kind of excited by the switch. The AA blanks for men might be amazing, but the women's leave a lot to be desired. I've only ever bought one shirt for myself (generally I get them as presents for my brothers) because the fit was so lousy. I also have to say that I kind of prefer a heavier shirt--though I'm apparently in the minority there, too. I'm looking forward to trying out these new blanks.

ProfHotpants

bluejester wrote:If you haven't terminated your relationship with AA, then what business are you still doing with them? I.E. What products are you purchasing from them still that will eventually be adorned with the efforts of the artists who submit here?

Maybe I'm being a bit forward in asking this, but is it possible to get a quick run down on what you plan on still buying from AA?

Right now, it's the long sleeve tees, but there are more possibilities in the works. I can't tell you what exactly, though, because it will ruin the surprise.

missmelis

dcroe05 wrote:To me, this is the heart of the matter? Because this comes so soon after your first ever price increase, it's seems difficult to believe the two moves are not related. But if the shirts cost the same, or are now cheaper, then why do I need to pay more? And if the new shirts are, indeed, more expensive, then why not leave the jobs in the US?

Hear, hear. The price increase I was okay with (although I did pretty much stop buying shirts on the first day, I've only bought from the Reckoning or randoms since the price went up). Switching shirt blanks... I'm less okay with, but I suppose it's understandable. But both within a span of less than two months? Simply not okay.

I appreciate the wootstaff's dedication to being available and responsive in this thread, but I don't think even a reassurance from every single person who works for woot would manage to convince me that this isn't just a way to expand the profit margin at the expense of product quality.

The goodness of the true pun is in the direct ratio of its intolerability. - Edgar Allan Poe

bluejester

I'd recommend putting a forewarning of the sizing change on the purchasing page. I thought that I'd check to see if there was one by clicking on a shirt from the reckoning.

If the sizes are even a little different (especially for the women folk) there likely needs to be several warnings of this change. (Just some thoughts after several years in the customer service/retail industry).

brettbutter

rockymike wrote:The length getting shorter is what makes me most nervous. What I liked best about the current shirts is that they are about the only kind that I can buy online that do well to accommodate long-torsoed folks like me. Losing that little bit of length may seem insignificant, but it's a big deal to me. We'll just have to try it and see how it goes...

Pretty much exactly this for me as well. For the ones saying that these new blanks will shrink less, I already don't put my shirt.woot shirts in the dryer, so that's not very reassuring for me.

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